Jibarito
 A jibarito made with grilled chicken |
|
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Type | Sandwich |
| Main ingredient(s) | Plantains, garlic-flavored mayonnaise, meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes |
The jibarito (pronounced hee-bah-ree-to), a specialty of Chicago, is a sandwich made with flattened, fried green plantains instead of bread, garlic-flavored mayonnaise, and a filling that typically includes meat, cheese, lettuce and tomato.[1][2] The original jibarito had a steak filling, and that remains the usual variety, but other ingredients, such as chicken and pork, are common.
Contents |
History [edit]
Chicago restaurateur Juan "Peter" Figueroa[1] introduced the jibarito at Borinquen Restaurant, a Puerto Rican restaurant in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, in 1996,[1][2] after reading about a Puerto Rican sandwich substituting plantains for bread. The name is a diminutive of Jíbaro and means "little yokel".
The sandwich's popularity soon spread to other Latin-American restaurants around Chicago, including Mexican, Cuban and Argentinian establishments, and jibaritos now can be found in some mainstream eateries as well.[3]
Related sandwiches [edit]
Other Latin American sandwiches served on fried plantains predate the jibarito. They include a Colombian specialty called a patacones and a 1991 invention by Jorge Muñoz and Coquí Feliciano served at their restaurant, Plátano Loco, in Aguada, Puerto Rico.[4]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b c Saga of a sandwich. Chicago Tribune, June 18, 2003.
- ^ a b Zeldes, Leah A. "Borinquen Restaurant". Dining Chicago. Chicago's Restaurant Guide. Retrieved July 7, 2009.
- ^ First look at Graham Elliot's Grahamwich. Chicago Tribune, December 15, 2010: "And it was damn near impossible with the jibarito; thin-sliced fried plantains were never intended to endure such treatment."
- ^ Plantano Loco
